Lackawanna County Woman Sentenced To 21 Years In Prison On Drug Distribution Resulting In Death Charges

SCRANTON - The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Kaylee Ann Widmer, age 25, of Thornhurst, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on September 23, 2025, to 21 years' imprisonment by Senior United States District Judge Robert D. Mariani for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and 40 grams and more of fentanyl resulting in death.

According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, between January 2022 and February 2023, Widmer and her boyfriend, Christopher Potter, and others conspired to distribute controlled substances throughout Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. Widmer supplied fentanyl to her co-conspirator Santino Bellucci, who on December 18, 2022, sold a person fentanyl which caused the individual's death. At the time of the incident, Widmer was receiving large amounts of fentanyl from individuals residing in the Hazleton, PA area throughout the conspiracy.

Senior Judge Mariani previously sentenced both co-conspirators Santino Bellucci, age 28, of Dickson City, PA, and Christopher Potter, age 30, of Scranton, PA, to 21 years' imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Dunmore Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny Roberts prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was also brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat the nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin. Led by the United States Attorney's Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.

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